The Harley-Davidson and Indian Wars

DJ121

Member
I spend a lot of windshield time at work, like 100,000 miles and 14 months. Anytime it's safe I use the cruise so I can move my feet around a little bit. And having it on a bike means you can shift your weight and move your right arm a little bit.
Yes Sir, CC is meant to reduce fatigue, and one thing a chap can use when riding a bike that has significant vibration...is a reduction in fatigue :)
 

mark.lb

Well-known member
I've never really been into the cruiser thing, and $30,000 for 70 horse never did it for me.
The whole brand bashing thing is what totally turned me off to harley. If you stuff something in my face and start screaming about it, there's a very good chance I will never want one. I think it may be an insecurity thing, they just spent way above the price point to get a name and a peer group of mostly leather clad wannabees perched atop Chrome barges...
Not into brand bashing either - but be Careful. Some of those $30,000 Chrome Barges ridden by Leather Clad Wannabees make some serious power and in the right hands will easily humble an FTR. I’m pretty sure my Scout Bobber - Plain Jane is faster than my FTR.
 

broncoguy27

Active member
Its more attitude bashing than brand bashing.
No cruiser corners well, and I don't care to go 3x the speed limit in a straight line. Been there, done that.
 

Walrus

Active member
I've never really been into the cruiser thing, and $30,000 for 70 horse never did it for me.
The whole brand bashing thing is what totally turned me off to harley. If you stuff something in my face and start screaming about it, there's a very good chance I will never want one. I think it may be an insecurity thing, they just spent way above the price point to get a name and a peer group of mostly leather clad wannabees perched atop Chrome barges...
Amazingly, Harley is becoming very modern with much more powerful engines. Also, the majority of Harleys don't cost 30K. Most are 20K and under. Not rising to defend H-D, just making an observation. The motorcycle pirate look is passing as well - thank god - as the people my age slowly die or stop riding. As a motorcyclist, go down to a dealer and check out the bikes. You can actually take a test ride, which is a rare thing. And fun.
 

Walrus

Active member
I loved my k1600 gt. It was too big and heavy for the off camber gravel driveway I had to turn it around on and unless I was going for a long ride I didn't take it which led me to get rid of it. Really wish I hadn't cuz I can't afford to replace it
Had same experience with a K1200 GT. Was great bike, but high, heavy center of gravity and very tippy. So it had to go.
 

broncoguy27

Active member
I've been looking off and on at them, and they pretty much done a 180 where they no longer make one bike in small, medium, and large. I think kind of what happened there was the motorcycle pirate thing as you shed has gone away, and their core customer base is no longer preventing them from making different bikes. They have also become a little bit more competitive price wise.
It was never the company, everything I've heard about them says they're pretty decent to their employees, they're reliability wasn't amazing, just barely worse than bmw. But the idiots I dealt with for most of my life screaming that I had to have something wrong with me unless I showed my individuality by doing things exactly like they did totally turned me off. Kind of like Glock handguns to be honest with you.
 

broncoguy27

Active member
Had same experience with a K1200 GT. Was great bike, but high, heavy center of gravity and very tippy. So it had to go.
You mean there is no better way to start off a ride than being absolutely sure you're going to drop your 800 lb 20 plus thousand dollar machine and not be able to pick it up without help? On hard pack or a level surface it wasn't bad, but the soft gravel and a bit of a slope made it to the point where to do a 10 minute run to the store I wasn't bothering breaking the bike out.
 

Walrus

Active member
I've been looking off and on at them, and they pretty much done a 180 where they no longer make one bike in small, medium, and large. I think kind of what happened there was the motorcycle pirate thing as you shed has gone away, and their core customer base is no longer preventing them from making different bikes. They have also become a little bit more competitive price wise.
It was never the company, everything I've heard about them says they're pretty decent to their employees, they're reliability wasn't amazing, just barely worse than bmw. But the idiots I dealt with for most of my life screaming that I had to have something wrong with me unless I showed my individuality by doing things exactly like they did totally turned me off. Kind of like Glock handguns to be honest with you.
Understand the GLOCK reference. Went through every high-end competitive brand and.... ended up mostly with GLOCKS. Kind of a repeat of my Harley process. But now I know it's not crowd pressure or urge to fit in, but just my taste. I like the GLOCK trigger. But my fave handgun is the Sig Sauer 9mm Navy. Sadly, a bit too big for every day concealed carry. But here in Oklahoma you can just trap it to your hip and walk around - no permit needed.
 

broncoguy27

Active member
Not to deviate too much, but I have small hands and I hate the Glock trigger too. I had a friend of mine bragging about how great his Glock trigger was, then I opened the safe and grabbed a 686 that had been through Smith's custom shop and showed him what a great trigger really was..... I have a ton of Tupperware guns, but they're all sig. With the case of Harley or glock, the product is possible and if you like it, good for you. What gets me is the belligerent mediocrity where they have an okay product, but they will get in your face and scream until you agree that it's the best.
 
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